Refrigerator construction



March l5, 1949. J, s. PALMER REFMGERATOR coNsTRUoTIoN Filedvoot. 24, 1945 Patented Mar. 15, 1949 REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION John S. Palmer, Chicago, Ill., assgnor to International Harvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application October 24, 1945, Serial No. 624,299

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in refrigerator cabinets and particularly to a breaker strip construction for sealing around an opening.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved structure for attaching aA breaker strip to a refrigerator cabinet.

Another object is to provide a breaker strip construction in which nails, screws, and the like securing means are not exposed after the strip is in position.

Another object is to utilize a resilient material stretchable over a rigid supporting structure.

Another object is to provide snap fasteners for securing a breaker strip to supporting brackets to facilitate assembly and disassembly for repairs or for other reasons.

The above objects and others which will be apparent from the description to follow are accomplished by a construction such as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a section through a refrigerator cabinet, showing a door or cover and an adjacent section of the cabinet wall.

Figure 2 is a view of the face of the cabinet wall with portions broken away in section to better i1- lustrate the supporting means for the breaker strip.

In the drawings, a refrigerator cabinet indicated in its entirety by the reference character I0 is provided with a closure in the form of a lid or a door indicated in its entirety by the reference character I I. The illustrated wall of the cabinet includes an outer wall I2 and an inner wall I3. The wall I2 has a portion I4 bent inwardly to form a double wall with a smooth rounded upper edge I5. The lower end of the portion I4 is bent at right angles to form a flange I6.

The wall I 3 is also provided with a downwardly bent portion I'I lying in Contact with the upper portion of the wall I3. A right-angled extension flange I8 integral with the portion I1 projects in alinement with the ange I6. A strip I3 of rigid material preferably having good insulating qualities and substantial mechanical strength, such as compressed ber board, is seated on the flanges I6 and I3. Identical supporting members generally Z-shaped in cross-section are seated on the upper surface of the strip I9.

Each member has a leg or portion 2I which rests against the top of the strip I9, a central portion 22 and an end portion 23 parallel to the portion 2I and extending inwardly, spaced from the strip I9. A securing element in the form of a screw 24 extends through an opening in one of the por- "Y second securing member 25 is tted through cor-- responding openings in the other member 20 and through the strip I9 being threaded through an opening in the other flange I8.

It will be noted that openings 26 are provided in the connecting portion 22 of each member 20, said openings providing for the flow of bituminous material indicated at 2l, said material being poured to seal the insulation space between the two walls I2 and I3, said insulation being indicated by the reference character 28.

A thin strip 29 of a Bakelite bonded material, or similar high strength material, is seated on the upper portions 23 of the supporting members 20. Said member has one edge terminating in spaced relation to the top edge of the wall I2 and another edge terminating in spaced relation to the top edge of the wall I3 for a purpose which will be later described.

Means for securing said strip 29 in position consists of snap fasteners 30, each having a flat head 3 I, a body 32, and an enlarged head 33 resiliently formed so as to providel for pushing said head through an opening 34 in the corresponding portion 23 of each supporting member 20. Said snap fasteners also extend through openings 35 in the strip 29.

To complete the breaker strip construction, a resilient breaker strip 36 is stretched over the strip 29, said resilient breaker strip having lips 31 extending over the top edges of the walls I2 and I3. Said resilient breaker strip is also provided with inwardly extending portions 38 adapted to be fitted in the spaces between the edges of the strip 29 and the top edges of the walls I2 and I3. Each of said extending portions 38 terminates in an enlarged portion 39 which ts against the inner surfaces of the wall I4 at one side and the wall I1 at the other side and abuts the underneath side f of the strip 29 adjacent its edges, thereby securing said resilient strip in position. It will also be understood that said strip has shallow recesses or openings 40 to provide space for the heads 35 of the fastening elements 30.

By means of the construction as above described, an air tight seal is provided for the insulating space between the Walls I2 and I3. Rigid spacing means are also provided and a support is included for the breaker strip construction which consists of the strip 29 readily secured by the snap fasteners 30 and a resilient breaker strip 36 which completely covers all the fastening and securing means and extends from one edge of the cabinet Wall to the other. Said material is a good insulator and is not liable to injury or damage by wear. Said strip also seals the space above the bituminous sealing material and prevents the entrance of moisture thereinto.

The door or closure Il is shown merely to provide a background for applicants improved structure. Said closure consists of a curved outer wall 4I and a at inner wall 42 overlapping a ange 43 on the Wall 4 I. A resilient sealing member has a flanged portion 44 clamped between the flange 43 and the outer edge portion of the wall 42. vSaid sealing member also includes a sealing portion 45 extending over the edge of the Wall 42 for resiliently engaging the breaker stri-p 36 adjacent its outer-edge, said strip being provided with a thickened'portion 46 to forma satisfactory seating surface for the sealing member. The door or closure Il in practice would be iilled with a suitable insulating material.

The above description explains the purpose and function of the :different elements making up applicant"s improved breaker strip construction for refrigerator cabinets. A construction is provided which is rigid, easy to assemble and disassemble, requires a minimum of parts, vand provides .a :construction having a minimum heat loss along with durability and freedom from exposed parts which 1are apt to coi-rode and collect foreign materials.

`Applicant claim-s as his invention all modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1.111 a refrigerator cabinet, the combination of.: a. pair of spaced apart walls having marginal edges terminating substantially in a common plane.; .means providing a bracket on each wall at a point thereon short of the edge thereof and -extending toward the other wall; a supporting member carried by the brackets and extending transversciy between the Walls; means connecting the supporting member to the brackets; a pair oi Z- shapedsupports mounted on the supporting member, each support including an intermediate 4 portion extending toward the aforesaid plane of the wall edges `and an end portion extending toward the other wall and lying generally in said plane; a breaker strip carrier mounted on said end portions of the supports and extending transversely between the walls, being generally parallel to the aforesaid supporting member and having each end spaced slightly from the proximate wall; and a breaker strip carried by the carrier, overlapping the wall edges and having portions projecting respectively into the spaces between the Walls and the ends of the carrier.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that: a layer of bituminous material or the like is `interposed between the carrier and the supporting member and covers the latter substantially from wall to wall.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that: the intermediate portions of the supports are each provided with an opening; and a layer of bituminous material or the iike, interposed between the carri-er and the supporting member, covers `the supporting member substantially wall to wall and passes through the aforesaid openings inthe intermediate portions of the supports.

JOHN S. PALMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,169,419 Hofierber-thet al. Aug. 15, 1939 2,186,805 Lenning Jan. 9, 1940 2,201,596 Teeter May 21, 1940 '2,256,013 Brouse Sept.`16, 1941 2,259,185 Swedman Oct. 14, 1941 2,266,893 Nauert Dec. 23, 1941 2,299,053 Ferris Oct. 13, 1942 2,309,001 Nave et a1 Jan. 19, 1943 2,329,754 Goulooze Sept. 21,1943 2,367,886 Nauert Jan. 23, 1945 

